Method of making cushion supporting members



Jan. 1 7, 1967 N. GRIMSHAW 3,298,885

METHOD OF MAKING CUSHION SUPPORTING MEMBERS Original Filed Sept. 25,1961 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR: A aRMA/V GR/MJ/Y/WI/ Kiri-k:

. an- 11; 1967 N. GRIMSHAW 3,298,885

METHOD OF MAKING CUSHION SUPPORTING MEMBERS Original Filed Sept. 25, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 17 M -F I G 7- 19 wnlplllnndnnnmv INVENTOR: NoRMfi/vaews/mw BY M 27% United States Patent 3,298,885 METHOD OF MAKING CUSHIONSUPPORTING MEMBERS Norman Grimshaw, Ashton-under-Lyue, England, as-

signor to Vitafoam Limited, a company of Great Britain Originalapplication Sept. 25, 1961, Ser. No. 140,436, now Patent No. 3,125,156,dated Mar. 17, 1964. Divided and this application July 29, 1963, Ser.No. 298,352 1 Claim. (Cl. 156-245) This is a divisional application ofthe US. application Serial No. 140,436 filed September 25, 1961, whichissued as Patent No. 3,125,156 on March 17, 1964.

This invention concerns supports, to be attached to the framework of apiece of furniture, for supporting for instance, a cushion. The termfurniture is to be construed as including motor vehicle seating,household seating, bedding and the like, and also rail and aircraftseating, sea transport seating, bedding, and the like.

Throughout the following description only chair seating will be referredto for simplicity.

It is well known to use as the cushion support for a chair, interwovenbands of webbing, which may be resilient or otherwise, springs,combinations of springs and wires and also non-interwoven bands normallyof rubber or rubberized fabric.

One of the difliculties associated with the methods used for securingcushion supports lies in the length of time taken to secure the supportto the frame.

Moreover in some cases the support given to the cushion has beenunevenly distributed and localized and relatively large non-supportedareas exist which tend, after a period of use, to result in deformationof the cushion.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method for formingan improved support which can easily be attached to the furniture frameand will tend to give an even support to the cushion.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of makinga support for furniture by moulding a sheet of thermoplastic materialinto a U-shaped metal fastening member by placing the material in amould together with the fastening member, subjecting them to pressureand heat and causing the material to flow in between the U-shapedmember. A more specific aspect of the invention further provides themember with holes and the material is caused to fiow into said holes,thereby being keyed therein.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved methodof making a support for a cushion or the like. A more specific aspect ofthis object is to provide a method for simultaneously curing a sheet ofthermoplastic material and bonding a plurality of metal attachingmembers thereto in a particularly efficient manner.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, withreference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate diagrammaticallya form of support and the manner in which such is attached to theframework of an article of upholstered furniture, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of one form of the support;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tongue of the support shown in FIG. 1,but on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a corner of the support of FIG. 1 whenattached in one possible manner to the framework of an article offurniture to be upholstered;

FIG. 4 is a part sectional view showing a modified means of attachmentto the framework;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 showing the modified means ofattachment;

FIG. 6 is a part sectional elevation showing a means for attaching thesupport to the framework; and

, 3,298,885 Patented Jan. 17, 1967 FIG. 7, 8 and 9 are detail sectionson an enlarged scale showing various means for the attachment of thesupport to the framework.

Like reference numerals on the several figures of the drawings denotelike parts throughout the specification.

FIG. 1 illustrates a cushion support comprising a sheet of rubber whichis moulded to provide a support area 10 having outwardly extendingtongues 11. Considering the extremities of the tongues 11 as definingthe overall size of the support, it is approximately rectangular inshape with cut-outs 12 along each side. The cut-outs 12 are two innumber on each side of the support 10 and thus tongues 11 are formed atthe four corners and in the central region of each side.

Within the area 10 are a plurality of apertures 13 which may be of anysuitable shape and disposition depending upon the use to which thesupport is to be put.

The tongues 11 are each provided with a metallic member bent into theform of a U having one arm longer than the other. The longer arm 14 isprovided with a locating flange 15'at its end and the flange is directedaway from the shorter arm 16. Aligned holes 17 are made in the arms fora purpose hereafter referred to.

To secure the member so formed to the tongues 11 the members are treatedwith a bonding agent and the uncured material for the support, togetherwith the members are suitably placed in a metal mould and the assemblyso formed is subjected'to pressure and heat to cure the rubber and bondthe members thereto. Whilst the as sembly is in the mould, rubber flowsinto the holes or recesses 17 in the members and ensures efiicientbonding by keying the rubber to the members.

In the modified form of attachment shown in FIG- URE 4, the membercomprises a metal strip 20 of substantially question mark shape. In thestraight portion 21 of the member are drilled a number of holes 22, forexample three, the purpose of which is to provide for efficient bondingof a rubber strip to the member.

The member is treated on its outer surface (the surface of larger radiusinsofar as the arcuate portion is concerned) with a chemical bondingagent and is placed in the mould with the uncured rubber for the supportand a bond is formed in the manner described above.

The support so formed is clipped on to a tubular member 23 which is partof the framework of a chair in the manner shown in FIGURE 5.

FIGURES 7, 8, and 9 illustrate various forms of a device which may beattached to the members described to enable the support to be attached,under tension to an article of furniture. The attachment device islocated by means of locating flange 15. FIGURE 6 shows a supportattached to part of the framework of an article of furniture by thedevice illustrated in FIGURE 7.

FIGURES 7 and 9 illustrate an attachment device of L-shape. One arm ofthe L is provided with apertures which correspond in size anddisposition to the holes 17 of the members above described. The deviceis secured to the support by means of rivets 18, studs or the like andproper assembly is facilitated because of the alignment of the holes dueto the locating flange 15. The other arm of the L is provided eitherwith holes through which can pass screws, nails, pins or the like 19, asshown in FIGURE 7 or with punched out spikes 20 as shown in FIGURE 9.

In the modification illustrated in FIGURE 8, the device is of questionmark form and is especially adapted for use with tubular steelfurniture.

The unstretched area of the support 10 is less than the area for it asdefined by the chair frame.

In use, the support 10 is secured to the framework by stretching it andsecuring the members to the framework by one of the methods abovereferred to.

The invention is not restricted to the above details. For example, thesupport can be moulded to any shape or size and the corner tongues maybe omitted.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as beingwithin the scope of the following claim particularly pointing out anddistinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as theinvention:

v The method of ,making a support for furniture by simultaneouslymoulding and curing a sheet of rubber and also bonding it to a pluralityof flat U-shaped metal fastening members each having a pair of parallelarms with recesses therein, comprising the following steps;

mould, subjecting said rubber and U-shaped members to sufiicientpressure and heat to cure said rubber and make it resilient and alsobond it into said recesses and in between said arms, positioning anapertured attachment device against said fastening member and saidflange to thereby align the apertures in said device with the recessesin said member, and securing said fastening device to said U-shaped,fastening member by inserting at least a part thereof through saidapertures and said recesses to thereby remove at least a portion of saidcured rubber therefrom.

No references cited.

placing uncured rubber and the U-shaped members in a 15 BERGERT PflmaryExamine

